It's hard to believe but the Silver Jubilee of Winter Range is coming up fast. The Arizona Territorial Company of Rough Riders has been working and planning on Winter Range 2016 for almost two years. The Rough Riders have been working on new props, visiting with Sponsers and Vendors to have some amazing prizes that are over and above the normal prize drawing and dozens of other details to make the Silver Jubilee the finest Winter Range ever. I will try to keep everyone up to speed on what is going on and post some photos once the tempatures get below 100 degrees and the heavy construction begins. (Probably late October.) The limits on the number of participants at the Silver Jubilee wil be 792 CAS shooters, 125 Wild Bunch shooters and 100 mounted shooters. Application forms were posted on the WInter Range website in June and a steady stream of applications is being received. Check the Winter Range website http://www.winterrange.com and if there are any questions on registration give Sunshine Kay a call.

The first deadline that is coming up fast is making camping reservations at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility (BASF). They start accepting reservations for 2016 on October 1, 2015 and the dates around Winter Range fill up FAST.

The Ben Avery website is kind of hard to follow so I will put links to the camping applications below. Look at BASF's East and Central application carefully and there is another link near the top of the page to go to a special Winter Range camping form. There are three camping areas at Ben Avery. The East lot is the main camping area. There is also a Central lot that, for those that have been to Winter Range, is behind the mounted arenas. There is also a third camping area (on the west side of BASF) at the Trap and Skeet ranges. The Trap and Skeet camping area has different administrative offices so the application has to be sent or called in at the Trap and Skeet range.

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The app was sent and the check has been cashed, so I guess that means we're in! I'm sure the email confirmation will come along shortly. Sure looking forward to this year's shoot. Hey Larsen, will there be a night shoot this year? Maybe a cannon and a Gatling gun to add some extra excitement?

Can I call someone to sign up or have them send me a hard copy of the app. I'm temporary sans printer

I want to sign up and hope I'm able to physically make the trip then be physically fit enough to shoot it. I'll either get a dry spot at Ben Avery or look elsewhere as time gets closer. Worst case I'll stay in the 20 ' enclosed trailer for the five or six nights shower at the shower house at ba and eat out all the time I've designed the trailer with AC, solar power and genset. I still need to buy the cot and mattress for it throw a tv in and my iPad I should be good.i got a little gas heater if I can find it I bought it while at WR to warm my hands between stages.

Just got back from the Four Corners Regional. Heading to Eldorado is a couple of days. Blacky, read the first post. There is a link and a contact person to call about registration questions. Stirrup, it varies but the average would be mid-December.

I checked with Kay. She said the hard drive on her computer failed and she is reconstructing everything and can't tell which acknowledgements she has already sent. So, she is planning on sending them all again.

This year Deuce Stevens is putting on a shooter's school. The school is limited to 20 shooters so if you are interested contact him ASAP. You can go to the Winter Range website, http://www.winterrange.com/page69.html for more information or contact him directly at deucestevens45@yahoo.com.

I've shot W/R twice now and this will be my third year, Got the confirmation Monday AM. Yee-Ha. Best news for me however, is that I finally convinced Hilda Billie that she does not have to be a top of the heap shooter to shoot W/R. She is finally going to give it a "Shot" (Pun Intended) It is so much more fun when she participates and we are inseparable. We even got her a new rifle to try out the long range on. Now we just need to get to the range as much as possible so she gets comfortable with it. I am looking forward to this year more so than my first year. Ben Avery here we come!!

I checked with Kay. She said the hard drive on her computer failed and she is reconstructing everything and can't tell which acknowledgements she has already sent. So, she is planning on sending them all again.

Thanks for the info Larsen. Seems my memory was a little off. It had only been a month.

Doncha just love automation? I never know if my tablets WiFi is gonna work or not.

Yesterday (Sunday, Oct 11) the temps were only in the mid-90s so it was an outdoor work day. Now that the construction season has arrived the rough riders and rangers start going through longgggggg checklists to make sure EVERYTHING is ready for the Silver Jubilee. All the steel is inspected. Any targets that are bent or damaged are replaced. (AR 500 or above armor plate is used for all targets.) To help make the targets "ring" there is a short heavy coil spring between the target face and stand. These are also replaced.

The paint and tool rooms were all stocked, batteries chaged and everything was ready to. BUT, see those barrels at the back of one of the storage sheds? They are full of bees. Ben Avery Shooting Facility has a bee expert on staff and they will be out to fix the bee problem before the next work party.

So, operations were moved several hundred yards from the bees. Fort Sinclair and Coosie's both needed some repairs and fresh coats of varnish and paint. Winter Range takes place for one week a year. The rest of the time the props are popular buildings for other shooting disciplines. Unfortunately some shooters seem to think the walls, doors and window frames are targets so they need some work to get ready for WR 2016.

Ben Avery is a busy shooting range. On Sunday there was a steel challenge match going on and they were using the bay with the Saloon. So, work will have to be rescheduled for the Saloon.